Episode 38: Dressing for Success: What NOT to Wear While Recording Your Podcast

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Healthy Profits podcast. I'm your host, Ray Ireland, and today we're going into a fascinating topic that I personally love, but I also haven't seen much of this around the podcast space, which is what should I be wearing on a podcast? There for sure is a certain way that you can be dressing for success for your podcast. There's definitely certain do's and don'ts. Trust me, as a podcaster of the last five years, there are definitely times where I've thought I should not be wearing this, and then other times where it's smooth and confident and feels good and looks professional. So I'm going to go into the details around what's going to help you become a better podcast, what are you going to wear that's going to help boost your podcast success? And also some things that you. You might not even be thinking about, but that could actually majorly take away from your podcast experience. So let's dive in. The importance of what to wear during a podcast is definitely something that is underestimated. Right? That's not the first thing that you're going to be thinking about, what is my attire going to be? And you might even be like, chuckling to yourself, saying, well, isn't a podcast audio only? Like, why do I need to plan out what I'm wearing? Well, there's a big piece of it. Podcasting, yes, definitely started with just being audio, but it really has transformed into being an entire marketing and storytelling platform that is best utilized when also adding in the video. Now, some might not agree with that, but I would say if you're going to spend your time doing something sitting down and giving it your all, why not go that extra 5% to get ready for video if you can. If you're already going to spend your time doing this and at least have that video. I always think of efficiency and managing my time as one of the highest priority things that I can be doing because our time is so, so valuable. And you might not even be like, immediately using the video, but to just have it. There are so many podcasts that I recorded before I was doing video with them where I didn't do video and I was like, what was I thinking? Like, that would have been such valuable content that I could have used in so many different ways. Go listen to our other episodes if you're like, what other ways? We have so many episodes on Healthy Profits Podcasts about repurposing content on different platforms and all that sort of stuff. But I just say just go for the biggest Bang for your buck. And if you're going to spend your time doing a podcast, just take that next step to get ready and do it camera ready. So the other side of it is say you are just doing audio. It still matters what you're going to wear, because the energy that you have, how comfortable you feel, and the way that you hold yourself, even just audibly in the way that you're speaking, comes from how you're feeling about yourself. And it might sound silly, but your confidence and your performance actually does come from not only being prepared, but also having yourself prepared, your body prepared, your voice prepared. And so this needs to be addressed. That's why we're doing this episode. Sammy definitely was laughing at me when I was like, I want to do one about how to address on a podcast, but here we are and it's going to be awesome. You guys are in the right place. Like I said, I at a, at one point was doing podcasts that were just audio. And at that point I did notice that I was like, just audio. I'll just do it, like right before I go to bed in my PJs, or I'll just do it in between this or that. And what that created was just a slight lack of energy because I was always a little bit in this, like, slumpy mood. I just was a little bit more sleepy. I wasn't in my energized, perky, outgoing, expressive self that I really can be. And that's the person you want to bring to the camera when you're watching things, when you're watching content, are you watching the person that's talking like this and not moving at all and makes me fall asleep and I end up falling asleep during it. Yeah, you don't even know what I just said because it was so boring. Right. Point being, when you are energized, when you're feeling alive, when you're feeling vibrant, when you're feeling like your best self, your best content is going to come out. And so I noticed this when I switched over to doing video and I started getting prepared, I started getting dressed, I started getting ready, and I felt that get really translated into what I was sharing inside of the podcast recording. So first of all, like, if that doesn't show you the importance of it, then the next thing will. So then I remember those first few months where I was batch recording episodes. I was doing all the stuff that I was taught to do and I was feeling so good about it, except for I was so drained on the other side of recording My episodes. Now, why was that? I was drained because I also was super sweaty, super dehydrated, and I had been looking at a screen or a light or a camera for a long time. So what do all of those pieces have to say? Now, of course, you still are going to look at a screen or a camera or computer or a light when you're recording this, but it makes a huge difference on what you're wearing and the temperature control, Right? So I just remember sweating and sweating and sweating and wiping my sweat and imagining that they're not seeing me wipe my sweat right now. But I was nervous, and I had my nerves going. I was just. There was. There was so much, and I was thinking about my hair, and I was feeling my skin. I was feeling my shirt stick, and I was wondering, oh, I hope they're not seeing my sweat marks. And all of these pieces. Right, came out. And so I just remember feeling like, kind of like a failure and also like a fraud. You know, I felt like I was, like, trying to be someone that I wasn't because here was, like, sitting behind this camera, like, so hot and sweaty, and I couldn't think straight. It ruined my focus and what I was sharing. And on the other end, yes, it might have looked a little bit sweaty or this or that, but that's not really the core issue. The core issue is that it threw me off my game. It threw me off my podcast game, and I did not like that. So what did I do? I switched up my outfits. I made sure that I was wearing something that felt comfortable and also fit the role. I remember there were also times where I wasn't wearing something that fit the role, and I was either way too overdressed and it just felt awkward, especially looking back at it, or way too underdressed, where it didn't feel professional and I wasn't creating the leverage of positioning that podcasting has the ability to do for you. So let's just go over this again. Like, the choice of your clothes and what you're wearing on a podcast is not a small detail. It might be the last detail that you think of. That's okay. But at least just think about this detail before you press record or before you send that recording in to your team to produce. That is the level of detail that truly separates an amateur podcaster versus a professional podcaster. I want you to feel confident. I want you to feel sexy and magnetic and professional, and on top of your information, on top of your stories, quick with your tongue and open in your heart and the only way that you're going to be doing that is if you're feeling good in your body while recording. So again, this goes for if you're just doing audio, same thing if you're doing video, then even more important, right? Let me give you a few types of clothes to wear during a podcast recording to help you narrow it down and really choose something that's going to be an incredible fit and actually bring more success to your podcast. So number one, comfortable but professional, right? This is an outfit that strikes that balance between comfort and professionalism. It usually is pretty clean, but it's also pretty casual. I don't know if you've ever seen content creators that are just like so dressed up, so done up, and it's a little bit hard to relate to them because you're like, I know you're not usually wearing that on the day to day, so I always like to see like, what can I wear during my day? And actually not just put on a podcasting outfit, but, but wear it throughout the day. Get into that energy from the start of the day. And that energy might be, you know, you might be doing other things throughout the day and stuff like that too. But at least for your recording time, like, you're just, you're ready to go, you're on top of it, but you're also like, relaxed and still, you're still your everyday you. I think people really want to see everyday people on the other side of the camera, on the other side of their social media. We're tired of seeing these like mega stars. It's hard to relate to them. So see if you can find that balance of being your everyday self and still having that, that clean appearance. That clean appearance is first of all just going to make it more clear for what needs to come out of your mouth. It's going to remove distractions, it's going to remove fidgeting. For instance, I used to always love these huge earrings. Now I'm a new mom, so, right, we're, we're rocking the studs these days. But I used to love them. And I remember I one time wore these huge earrings and I was shaking my head a lot and it was ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And my audio editor was like, what are you doing? That sounds crazy. Or bangles on my wrist. These types of things, they're extra, but when you're recording, it doesn't make sense. It's actually going to diminish the quality of your entire episode. So be really clear about being clean in your appearance. Also with your accessories and stuff like that. Women, especially with jewelry, just to, you know, know what's going on, know what sounds are being created by your body. Even guys, sometimes they're maybe fidgeting on the desk, you have some rings on. Things like that can actually be a huge distraction. So mitigate that by going in the comfortable but professional look. Now, to play off of that a little bit more is there's some fabrics that are really fun and they speak very loudly. You know what I mean? It's like the flower patterns, Hawaiian patterns, maybe bright, a whole bunch of different bright colors. We can call them noisy fabrics, right? They make a lot of noise. And those things are super fun to wear when you're maybe going out, going to a party or a festival or something like that. But they're not quite appropriate for podcasting and for video. Now, the reason why is that it draws all of the viewers attention onto those patterns and takes their attention off of what you're actually saying. I believe podcasting is so important and has made such an impact in the world because it's where we get to hear what each other are truly saying. And if you're not even using video, you get to really listen in. If you are using video, just having a very simple way that you're dressing, simple patterns, even simple backgrounds, we might go into another video later, down another episode, where we go into setting up your background as well. But just having something simple that isn't showing all of these things and really taking the distraction away from you and your face and your voice and what you're saying. So there's that. And so when we say noisy, noisy fabrics, it also means, like, the jewelry. There are certain fabrics, like swish, swish, swish. A lot of guys wear this. I'm thinking, like, athletic wear, right? Like swishy pants or a swishy sweatshirt or something like that. Be aware of the noise that your fabrics are gonna make as well. So two things. The colors and, like, too many patterns where it's super distracting and also too loud. No noisy clothes. Let's try and just get rid of that. That will solve so many problems. We also wanna be aware, as you're choosing, does this shirt or my whole outfit regulate my temperature easily? Right? There's definitely certain fabrics and different things that you can wear. Maybe you're someone that loves to wear layers. Make sure that you know what you're wearing and that you accommodate to work with the temperature, because your temperature is going to rise as you record your podcast. You're going to get excited. You're on camera, you're in go time. So of course your temperature is going to rise. But are your clothes and is your outfit going to help regulate your cool down as well? So of course you could put a fan in the room, but there is the slight issue of audio issues. Right. If it's a very loud fan, then we don't suggest it. So that's where you need to be really aware of what are you wearing? Do the clothes breathe? Do you need to wear shorts? Do you need to wear like a short, a tank top or something like underneath a light shirt or light jacket or something like that? Definitely avoid these fabrics, especially if you're in a hot climate. If it's in the summertime, avoid it because you don't want to be sweating, you don't want to be uncomfortable. And it's also pretty hard to just take your sweater off in the middle of a podcast, right? You don't want to do that. You want to be in your flow. You want to be going, you want to feel comfortable. Another point is we want you to also be wearing something that makes you feel confident. This kind of goes back into the energy in which you record, is the energy that they're going to be hearing you from. So we want you to feel confident in what you're sharing. And that also means that there are certain clothes that are going to make you feel more confident in what you're sharing and less clothes. So for instance, why would you show up to a soccer game in a ballet outfit? You're not going to feel comfortable as a soccer player if you're in a ballet outfit and vice versa. Right? So same thing goes here. Show up as your podcaster self, not as, I don't know, your prom date self. Right? That's a little extreme, but you get what I mean. Boost the confidence in the area in which you need to boost for this job to get done in the best way possible. So for me, this really comes back into that. Like clean meets professional meets comfy outfit. Right. It's something that I would show up for a team call on. I would even show up to a client wearing this. But maybe I wouldn't. Maybe it's like a little bit dressed down compared to being on stage. Right. So it's finding that nice balance and again, having some really clean materials. So when I say that having your basics is really a great look for both men and women on the podcast video space and also when you're recording just having some basic colors, of course, you can always Play with your brand colors. That's a really fun way to do it, too. Or wear something basic. Have your brand colors in the background. So these are just some fun ways where you can get creative but still keep it simple and clean. So that way it comes off truly professional. So some additional things. Let's see. So we went over the colors. Let's go over the fit. So make sure that your clothes fit. This happened to me so much when I first started recording podcasts is that I would be talking with my hands and I would be moving my shoulders back and forth, and all of a sudden my shirt would fall off my shoulder, and I'm picking it back up and it's falling off and up and off, and my bra strap is showing and this and that. It just looks a little bit messy and less professional when that's happening. So make sure that whatever clothes you do choose to wear, they fit you properly and you can move in them still. You want to be able to feel free to move your hands, free to move around, whether you're sitting or standing while recording. And that way you will also gain that confidence as you're recording, as you're in your process, getting into your flow and not feeling restricted or worried about your skirt coming up or your shoulder falling off or this or that. So I want to encourage you guys to assess, like, the current podcasting recording outfits that you've been wearing. Have you been choosing things that are in alignment with what we're talking about? Have you had some misses? That's okay. Usually it's a little bit of trial and error. Definitely take note and also look back at your videos. What do you like to see yourself in? That's probably most important. You can scrap everything else I said on this episode and choose. What do you like to see yourself dressed in? How do you like to see your appearance come off? Because if you love the crazy big bold pattern and colors and that's your signature, then do it. But go all in and do that. So that's where you get to have your creative license. But keep in mind, like, I wouldn't if you love seeing yourself in wool and it's summertime and you don't have ac. Right. Let's just be reasonable here. So anyways, go through your outfit, see what you love, what makes you feel most confident, most sexy, most comfortable while recording, and then we would love to hear. So this would be a fun thing to share on social media. You can always do polls. You can tag us in them, say, hey, what are my other podcasters wearing what are your guys's favorite outfits. So this is a fun way to connect with other podcasters. Connect with yourself and truly give yourself the gift of podcasting. Enjoy the experience. You shouldn't be hot. You shouldn't be sweating. You shouldn't be overwhelmed. You should just feel confident, comfortable and relaxed. And that's what your listeners are going to love to see and hear from you. So thanks so much for tuning in. Please remember to check us out on Instagram. Come find us. That's where you'll see Sammy and I playing around with our outfits. And you can always let us know if you think it's a hit or a miss. Gently, kindly, via our Instagrams. That'll be funny. So check us out. We are Vol. Podcasting on Instagram. Of course you can find Sammy and I there as well. And we will see you guys soon. Bye now.

That was a great episode. Thanks for joining us and tuning in to the Healthy Profits Podcast.

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